Improvement in bowling-alleys



A. A. HAMUN. Bowling-Alley.

Patented March 16, 1875.

. which may be arranged upon the 'floo large scale, or may be applied to a small table.

ATEN'I' ALONZO A. HAMLIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN BOWLlNG-ALLEVS.

' Specification forming part of Letters PatentNo. 160,900, dated March 16, 1875; application f led January 29, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it' known that I, ALONZO A. HAMLIN, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Bowling- Alleys; and I do hereby declare that the folfurther, in a device for limiting the number of balls returned-to the player.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a top view' of inyinventiou 'asaiipned to a bowl ing-alley. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section' of the same, taken in the line 3 y of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section takeuin the line :0 :v of Fig. 1. v

A represents the bed of a bowling-alley,

At the rear end-of the alley the pins B are set up on the bed A. To the bottom of each pin is attached one end of a cord, b, which passes through ahole'to the under side of the bed A, where the other ends of all the cords b are united and attached to the lower end ofa cord, 0, which passes under a roller, d, and has its upper end attached to a Windlass, E, journaled in bearings e at a suitable distance above the bed. The rear end of the alloy is slightly inclined downward, both toward the end and toward one side, so that one corner is lower than the other. i In this lower corner is a recess,f, in which works the lifter for elevating and returning the balls. The lifter consists of a board, G, beneath which are pivoted swingin g arms g g having their upper ends attached to the under side of the board, and their lower ends attached to the bottom of the recess f, so that the board in rising and falling will always maintain a uniform and parallel position. On one side of the alloy is the return-channel H for the return of the balls to the players. Said chan nel consists of two rods running nearly the entire length of the alley, being supported near the ends, and at any other suitable points,

with the r, on a lifter, they are i I by standards The rear ends 11/75 of the rods or wires which form the return-channel are curved downward from the standard j to form an arc of a circle, of which the lower pivot of the arm 9 forms the center. In the forward end of the lifterGar'e two holes, through which pass the curved portions h h of the rods. instcad of the holes in the lifter, the wires may be run through eyes or staples attached to the board. The curved portions h h, thus connected lifter, serve as guides to insure its working in the proper manner. 'lo the front end of the lifter is attached a cord, K, which passes upward and over a pulley, i; then downward in the recess f, under the bedA and roller d,-and then upward to the Windlass. E, where it is attached The windlass E is proyided with a purchase-wheel, M, to which .is'attached one end of a cord, L, which passes downward and under the bed A to the front end of the alley, where it projects above the same, and is provided with a ring, 1, or other suitable handie.

When the cord L is pulled the purchasewheelM revolves, and with it the Windlass E, winding the cords O and K around the wind-. lass, and thus setting up. the pins,'and raising the lifter to return the balls by one and the same operation; As the lifter G rises it is guided by the curved portions k it until its front end is as high as the straight portion of the rods, when the balls leave the litter and roll along the channel H to the front end of thealley, as shown in Fig. 2. When the cord L is released thelifter returns to its former position in the recess f, and the pins remain upright. I

In a large alley the weight of the lifter is suflicient to return it to its lower position; but in a small alley or table the lifter may be provided with a spring, a, to insure its proper return. 1

If desired, the cord L may be carried upward and along the ceiling or side wall without changing the operation.

The capacity of the lifter is limited to a certain number of balls; and when it is raised to return the balls, if thcre should be at the rear end of the alley any balls besides those on the the recess f by means of a board, P, arranged FFICE.

prevented from dropping into to slide vertically in the bed A, and provided I with a spring, s, placed under it., When the lifter G rises the spring 8 raises the board 1? far enough above the surface of the bed to ar rest the balls and prevent them from falling into the recess; and when the lifter descends a lug, t, thereon presses down the board P, so as to allow the balls to roll on the lifter.

The cord Kis somewhat shorter than the cord 0, or is attached to the Windlass more tightly, so that it will operate to raise the lifter before the cord 0 begins to operate on the pins to set them up. By this means the lifter may be raised to return the balls without interfering with the pins in case they *were not disturbed by the balls just previously rolled.

What I claim as new, andtlesire to secure by Letters Patent-,is-

1. The lifter G, arranged to work in the recessf, and provided with the pivoted swinging arms 9 g and cord K, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of the cord L, purchasewheel M, and Windlass E with the'cord 0, connected with the pins, and the cordK, connected with the lifter, whereby the pins are set up and the balls lifted and returned by one and the same operation, substantially as shown and described.

3. The spring-board P, constructed and ar- I ranged to operate as shown and described, for the purpose specified. ALONZO A. HAMLIN. Witnesses: v

MICHAEL RYAN, BENJAMIN W. HOFFMAN. 

